Cold And Empty
by smalld1171
Summary: One Shot.  Spoilers for 7.02.  Dean's thoughts as he stands at the water's edge.


**Wow. That's all I can think to say about Season 7 so far. Freakin' awesome! I loved 7.02 and so I took ten minutes to jot down a miss-match of thoughts that fluttered through my brain. I didn't really edit or look it over too much, I just started writing so I hope it isn't tooooo terrible. Thanks for stopping by! Oh, and of course I own NOTHING!**

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><p>He swallows hard when he sees it; as it floats in the water like some kind of discarded piece of trash; as the beige colour stands out against the shoreline. An ugly, piece of shit trench coat of all things, definitely out of place here among the water and brush. He thinks Bobby might still be talking to him but he can't focus on anything but the shell of the angel as it moves subtly with the incoming ripples caused by that damn underwater explosion.<p>

His legs are unsteady as he takes the step to the edge; as he hesitates for a moment before his hand reaches out to touch it, to feel the fabric against his skin. He half expects it to burn him, to sizzle his flesh and remind him of the life it once contained. But it's cold. No, that word doesn't do the feeling justice. It's not cold, it's freezing. The energy, the essence of the being it used to house extinguished as though it, and he, never existed. Snuffed out in an instant like a flickering candle. The fire and life that was Cas, that was his friend, gone. Replaced by nothingness and ice.

He stares at it, as the water drips from the fabric to the ground below, and squeezes his eyes shut. It's not just that it is numbing his hand from its lack of heat, it's the fact that it is empty. It's empty like his damn chest. He feels hollow inside, courtesy of the Leviathan vacuum that has just sucked out his heart.

He takes in a shaky breath. Damn it. Castiel is gone. Dead. He fricken exploded in a sea of black ooze. Shit. That's one nasty way to go out. He didn't… sure, maybe he had kind of gone off the rails there for a second, but he sure as hell didn't deserve an end like this.

If Cas would have just listened to him, he… well, for one thing he wouldn't have been transformed into a mass of evil sludge, slithering its way in the depths of darkness of this damn river. Shit. He should… if he had more time he would have found a way to save him. That stupid damn angel, he could have saved him! They could have saved Sam. Together. They could have faced whatever new threats were out there. Together. They... together they could have saved each other. Stupid, feathered son of a bitch.

His vision is blurred as he stares out into the lake and focuses on the last place he saw him.

He flinches slightly at the touch on his shoulder. He is catapulted back to the here and now and the overwhelming sense of dread that these bad ass clowns from Purgatory have injected into his veins. Bobby is staring at him now. He takes a moment to rub a hand down his face to try and clear the image of Castiel's final moments; the ones that have been seared into his damn retinas, before facing the older man's gaze.

"We need to high tail it outta here son, those slimy bastards are swimming out there somewhere and they know we're here. Time to move."

He can't speak, can't think, hell, he can't do anything but throw a curt nod Bobby's way and watch as his back retreats back out through the gate. Hell, how are they supposed to have a snowball's chance against douchebags who can destroy a damn servant of Heaven? Simple. They aren't, so whatever they do is gonna end bloody.

When he starts to move it is slow and labored, because he wants nothing more than to curl up into a ball and wait for them to come; because this stupid life has just about outgrown its usefulness and he ain't sure he has the strength to fight anymore. But as he looks at the pale and shaky form of his brother he knows he will do just that. He will fight. For Sam.

He glances back one last time to the water and sighs. If it wasn't for the fact that Sam is currently riding on some kind of Hell-coaster, he'd follow Cas right into that damn lake and let the darkness swallow him whole.

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><p><strong>The End. Thanks as always for taking the time to read, I appreciate it! :D<strong>


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